Grading machine principally for fruit



Oct. 16, 1923. 1,471,128 J. L. HOLLAND GRADING MACHINE PRINCIPALLY FOR FRUIT Filed Jan. 15

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' be graded pass.

Patented Get. 1%, i923.-

" srar- JOSEPH LEONARD Hermann, or snnrrnaron, VIC'IQEIAQVAUSTRALIA.

GRADING MACHINE rn rnorrnnnr non FRUIT.

Application filed January 15,1923. .Seria1"No.'612,800.

' clare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a machine for grading articleaparticularly peaches, apricots, and other soft fruits, according to sizes, without bruising or injuring them.

Parts of the machine are made adjustable to enable it to grade to sizes wanted, and to allow of regulating its speed of operation. Rollers are used, under one or more of which, during their rotation, articles to Some articles before so passingctravel along a rotating roller or rollers until a place is reached where one or more of the articles. pass under a roller. The rollers are stepped-except in some cases a preliminary roller-and have suitably soft (as rubber) surfaces, but I claim no novelty in stepped roller or rubber surfaces in grading machines. I

The invention is explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying. drawings, but the construction maybe varied so long as the matter of any of my claims is retained.

In the drawings, Figure 1-is a plan of one form of my machine, omitting portions to.

, save space in drawing.

as by suitable meansiwhichwill be wellunder Figure 2 is a front elevation of the ma.-

chine, likewise omitting portions. 1 Figure '3 is an elevation of the receivin end ofthemaohine. 3 Figure 4 is a section across the machine on line. 45.

F igure 5 is a diagram of. travel courses of ninerarticles-in my machine." These articles'are of progressively increasing sizes, p being the smallest and p the largest.

ais a table to receive articles. to be graded from any suitable source as feed conveyor (1 The table-slopes (see Figure 3) transversely downward, and is mountedjupon a frame a Y Conveyor a is shown as a belt which is movable between sides a and is positioned stood to feed the articles at a level with the receiving edge of tablea. 7 The surface of .table'a includeslongitudia nal belt conveyors 0Z cl, having their conveyingsurfaces. transverselyinclined as in Figure 3. .These conveyors have, a non- 'moving part afiof table a between them. ,They move from the receiving end of the table (shown by arrows in Figurel) and transfer longitudinally articles which are fed on. them, toan adjoining conveying belt 03 or (1 the top surfaces of which form parts of tables which slope as next stated. The surface of belt d and its table slopein the same direction. as does table a, but the surface of belt 03 and its'table slope in the opposite direction to the slope of table a and belts 03 d. Thereare thus opposed.

slopes, as in Figure 4', having an apex 6 The various tables are adapted when derics.

sired to' allow of varying their slopes. "Thus i at e and at 6 there is in each case a hinge;

and at 6 there is a hinge'the latterslidably connected to a support a and provided with means to fixit, when adjusted, as a lock nut 6 Thetable slopes are simultaneously altered, as is made clear hereinafter.

- For regulation of table inclination, I attach to a table a bar 7 (Figure 1) the outer part f of which can be raised or lowered relatively to a frame stem 7, and can be fixed in the adjusted position. This'will regulate also the incline of the table 6, 0 having the conveyor belts d, al because table e'is integral with table a, and by reason of the said hinges, adjustment of table'e a'djuststable 0 at least the latter is stepped, as at 72 it will have any; plurality of. steppings.

The step b is to allow of grading small articles which pass to roller 6 afterpassing under roller 7).

Above each table 6 and c, is a stepp ed which are well known as conveyor elements and are therefore not illustrated.

Above table a are rollers, b, 5 of which Under. each stepped roller there will be successively higher spaces, relatively to-the directioninwhich articlesto be graded are I carried by the belt so that the larger the article, the farther it must-travel to reach a place where the roller has enough'clearance under it,but over the table, tolet the article hereinafter.

moves the articles, consequently articles can not be pinched as they pass under rollers.

The roller axles have end bearings having adjustable supports secured in adjusted position as by nuts. The rollers are 21Cl111Stllbl laterally of the tables by means of slotted bars 6, having adjustment retaining nuts The roller axle supports 7) when ad usted to 1 the height required are held by nuts bf. Supports b have bars attached to them and slidable laterally, supports 6 being thereby slidable laterally. Nuts 7? are upon screw threaded bolts which projectthrough slots in bars By means of" the niain shaft c carrying a sprocket driven by pulley 0 the roller axles which carry sprockets c Figure 3, are rotated by a chain 0 wh ch is drlven by r the sprocket of shaft 0. I make this chain engage also sprocket c on adrive axle c of feed conveyor (1?, the latter' axle having bearings, carried by the adjustable stems 0.

Articles to be graded are placed upon convey or' a and will, without being damaged, be delivered on table a, down which they roll (see Figure 3) the larger ones being stopped byroll'er b, while the small pass under that roller, and each roller 11 under which some.

of the articles at once pass and enter "a first receiver Part of the grading is thus ac-' complished. V v

' Articles which reach but cannot pass under roller bare carried by belt 01 to table 0 their subsequent movement being explained 'Articles which reach roller b but cannot pass under it at once are carried'longitudinally by belt d till they pass the stepping b and if the height beyond the stepping is great enough, the'ar'ticlcs pass by gravity under the roller and enter a second receiver W.

Articles too large to enter the latter receiver are transferred by belt d, to belt d by which they will be moved hereinafter explained. V 1

Reverting now to tables 6 and e, conveyor 7 belt d 'receives from conve or d and con- /1 of a pulley of belt d andthe shaft of a pulley of the belt d is coupled to shaft, 71 by a suitable joint k Belt d is driven from shaft c bythe gears j, and shait jfi dotted in d r ceives fr v y d- 1118 articles are carried bybelting d (2 till they reach a roller part of 's'ufiiciently small diameter to enable thenrto pass by gravity ontheta'ble under the roller.

Each beta and d is driven suitably.

Thus, seeFigure i, shafts carries a bevel gear h, which drivesa bevel gear on a shaft Figure "1. The roller 9 is coupled to and 'ers laterally of the table.

driven by roller 6 or these rollers are integr'al. Roller g is rotated in the opposite direction by a friction disc that is fixed upon an extension of the conveyor axle. 0 This frictiondisc' is faced witlrresilient Inatcrial as rubberand may be bevelled and the end of the roller be bevelled correspondingly.

Each grading table, 6 6 has adjoining its roller reeeivers for articles which become graded ac-cording to the steppings. Thus m 7723,771 are respective receivers next to roller 9' and m, m, m, are respective receivers next to roller Rollers g and g rotate as shown "by arrows in Figure 4 so as not to pinch the articles to be graded. An end receiver wa is provided for those articles which are too large forany other receiver. iii prefer that the outer edge, m, oi each receiver shall curve upwardly.

I claim 1. In a grading machine, a transversely inclined table to receivearticlesto be graded, a gradingroller over the upper part of said table, another grading roller, said latter roller beingstepped and over a lower part of the said table, and means for rotating the rollers in the direction opposed to that in which articles to be graded move by gravity. v v r 2. In a grading machine, a transversely inclined table, a grading roller over said table,another roller being stepped and over a'lower part of the said table, means for rotating the rollers in the direction opposed to that in which the articles to be graded move, by gravity, and conveyors to support articles to be graded and convey them longitudinally of the rollers while allowing articles, according'to their size, to pass under dilierent parts of the rollers.

3. The construction specified in claim '1, and means to adjust the inclination table.

4. In a grading machine, a transversely inclined table, agrading rollerf'over said table, another roller being stepped and.

over a lower part'of thesaid table,

means to] adjust the table incline, means for rotating the rollers in "the direction opposed to that in which thej-art'icles to "be graded move, by gravity, and conveyors to support articles to be "graded and conve them longitudinally For the rollers while allowing articles, accordin "to their size, to" pass under different parts of the rollers; V

5. The construction specified in cla'in'i 2,

and means to vary the distance of the rollers above the table.

6. The construction specified in claim 2, and means to vary the positions of the roll- 7.111s inclined ta grading machine, a transversely y lo, a grading roller over said table, another roller being stepped and over a lower part of the said table, means for varying roller height over thetable, means means to drive the conveying beltaforesaid.

for varying roller position laterally of the table, means for roller rotation in the direction opposed to that in which the articles to be gradedmove, by gravity, means to convey articles longitudinally while the articles bear on the rollers, said rollers beingspaced at diiferent heights from the table to allow articles, according to their sizes, to pass beneath the rollers.

8. In a grading machine, a transversely inclined table, a grading roller over said table, another roller being stepped and over a lower part of the said table, means for rotating the rollers, conveying belts at the table surface to convey articles longitudinally ofthe rollers, and means to drive a conveyor to feed articles to the table, and

9. A grading machine comprising a transversely inclined gradingtable, grading rollers spaced at different distances from said table, means whereby articles to be graded are fed along said rollers, two grading tables adjacent said first table and adapted-to receive articles from said means, said two grading tables being transversely inclined in opposite directions, grading rollers over the two tables, and means to rotate the lastnamed rollers. l

10. The construction specified in claim 9, and'means to simultaneously adjust the inclinations of the tables.

11. The construction specified in claim 9, and two oppositely inclined tables hinged together at their upper portions, the lower portion of one table being slidable for purposes of adjustment, and means to secure saidflower'portion of the table in itszadj usted position.

12, In a grading machine, a transversely" inclined table having upper and lower parts,

a grading roller over 7 said table, another grading roller over a lower part of the table,

two oppositely inclined tables at the end of.

the first-named table, a grading roller above each of said last named tables, means for rotating each roller in the direction opposed to that in which the articles move by gravity, and receivers for the graded articles.

13. In a grading machine, an inclined grading table, oppositely inclined grading ried diameters, means to rotate each roller in the opposite direction to the downward inclination of the table under it, means to adjust said rollers vertically and laterally,

and means to adjust the table inclinations. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto set v r 4 my hand.

' JOSEPH LEONARD HOLLAND,

Witness: I V V GEORGE G. Tom. 

